Ice tray



Sept. 19, 1939.

L. M. KEIGHLEY ICE TRAY Filed April 8, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l R m; E M 0 Z 1 -MR. Q \w mdw m ///6 ATTORNEYS.

| M. KEIGHLEY 2,173,806

ICE TRAY Sept. 19, 1939.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 8, 1938 INVENTOR. 440; M 4 5/ 045 Sept. 19, 1939. L M. KEIGHLEY 2,173,806

ICE TRAY Filed April 8, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNITED STATES- ICE TRAY Lloyd M. Keighley, Dayton,

Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application April 8, 1938, Serial No. 200,955 9 Claims. (01. 62-1085) This invention relates to freezing devices for refrigerating apparatuses and particularly to a device for freezing liquids into ice'blocks.

I am aware of the fact that others have provided liquid freezing devices including a tray and a grid therefor which divides the interior of the tray into a plurality of ice compartments and wherein the grid is of rigid metal wall construction with all the walls thereof vertically disposed and normally positioned at an angle to one another to provide parallelogram-shaped ice block compartments. In such structures the grid walls are movable out of their normal angled position to break ice blocks loose therefrom and to enlarge the compartments to liberate the ice blocks from the grid. Some difficulty has been encountered in providing a freezing device of the type described with a suitable mechanism for separating the grid from the tray and for moving the grid Walls relative to one another. For example, in prior freezing devices wherein all the grid walls are vertically positioned and disposed at an acute angle relative to one another, a mechanism including an operating lever has been provided for moving the grid walls out of their normal acute angled position into substantially right-angled positions relative to one another. In this prior freezing device the operating lever has been arranged for movement in one direction to separate the grid structure and ice blocks adhering thereto from the tray and for movement in another direction to move the walls of the grid structure for releasing ice blocks therefrom. These different motions of the operating lever are confusing to the user and, quite frequently, application of too much force upon the lever in the wrong direction has resulted in damaging or breaking the mechanism associated therewith. I, therefore, contemplate the provision of an improved freezing device of the type described which will overcome the difficulty explained and which can be manipulated without confusion to thereby facilitate the act of harvestingice blocks therefrom.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved rigid movable grid wall structure. adapted to be disposed in an ice tray for dividing the tray into a plurality of ice block compartments and a novel method of removingthegrid from the tray and ice blocks from the grid structure.

Another object of my invention is to provide an ice tray with a removable rigid metal walled unitary grid structure which structure has all its walls disposed in a vertical position and includes a longitudinal wall and. a set of spaced apart walls extending laterally from each sidethereof with the walls of one lateral set extending in a difierent acute angled direction relative to the walls of the other lateral set to form rows of ice block compartments of parallelogram shape and in which structure the lateral walls are movable out of their angled extension to break ice blocks loose from the walls and to enlarge the compartments to release ice blocks therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to employ a means having a single direction of motion for moving certain of the walls of a grid structure of the type described in the preceding object relative to other walls thereof for also elevating the grid and ice, blocks bonded thereto relative to the tray.

A still further and more specific object of my invention is to provide a grid structure of the type described in the preceding objects wherein the laterally extending angled walls-are hinged to the longitudinal wall and have their outer extremities secured in spaced apart relation to one tion reside ifidetails of construction and in novel combinations and arrangements of parts thereof as will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a freezing device including a tray and a grid constructed in ac cord'ance with the present invention disposed in the tray;

Fig. 2'is a side view of the device disclosed in Fig. 1 showing the tray in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the freezing device taken onthe line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing the grid and ice blocks bonded thereto elevated relative to the tray;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the grid removed from the tray and disclosing certain walls of the grid moved relative to other walls thereof to illustrate the manner in which ice blocks are released from the grid;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the grid with ice blocks released therefrom to illustrate the movement of the lateral grid walls into a right-angled position relative to the longitudinal grid wall;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a portion of the grid showing the association of the lever with the longitudinal grid wall;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary top view showing ahinged connection of the lateral walls with the longitudinal wall of the grid structure;

Fig. 9 is a side view of the hinged connection of the grid walls and is taktn in the direction of the arrow 9 in Fig. 8; and

V Fig. is a view showing the connection of an actuating bar with the lateral grid-walls.

Referring to the drawing, for illustrating my invention, I have shown my improved liquid freezing device as including a metal ice tray having side walls |2 (see Fig. 3), a bottom wall l3 and opposed end walls I4 and I5. The upright walls of tray diverge outwardly toward the top of the tray to facilitate removal of a grid, generally represented by the reference character l6, disposed in the tray. The walls l2, l4 and i5 of tray l have their upper portion rolled over as at I! to provide a rim which extends continuously around the top of the tray to increase its structural strength. A portion of the metal of tray II .is extended downwardly from rim H; as at l8 (see Fig. 2), at the front of the tray and provides a mounting for a heavy metal piece l9 which has a handle pivotally secured thereto as at 2 I. The handle 26 facilitates placing of the freezing device in or on a freezing support or shelf of an evaporator of a refrigerating system and a cam surface 22 formed thereon functions, upon actuating the handle, to break onice bond between the tray and its support to permit removal of the freezing device and its frozen contents from I the evaporator in the well-known manner.

The grid |6 disposed within tray I I is of aunitary metallic construction and is removable from the tray. This grid structure l6 includes a substantially non-flexible or rigid longitudinal metal wall 25 and a plurality of substantially nonflexible or rigid metal walls 26,extending laterally therefrom in spaced apart relation along the length thereof to divide the. interior of tray into longitudinal rows of ice block compartments 28. The plurality of metal walls 28 are arranged in two sets, one of which is located on one side of longitudinal upright wall 25 and one of which is located on the opposite side of wall 25; It is to be noted that walls 26 are vertically disposed and are arranged parallel to one another and that these walls of one set thereof extend laterally in one direction at an acute angle relative to longitudinal wall 25 while the walls 26 of the other set thereof extend laterally in another direction at an acute angle relative to wall 25. The acute angled dispositionfor arrangement of the vertical walls 26 normally provides the ice block compartments 28 with a parallelogram form (see Fig. 1) and are movable out of their normal angled extensionv into a substantially right-angled position relative to longitudinal wall 25 to enlarge the ice block compartments in a manner to i be hereinafter more fully described. Walls 26 are each separate from and independentof one another and are hinged to longitudinal wall 25 for movement relative thereto. The upright or vertical longitudinal wall 25 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart cut-out slots 3| extending downwardly from its top edge (see Figs. 8 and 9) and with a plurality of spaced apart slots 32 extending upwardly from its bottom edge. Wall 25 is also provided with a plurality of horizontal slits 33 (see Fig. 9), and the metal intermediate these slits 33 is formed outwardly of one side of the wall 25 as at 34 (see Fig. 8). The

metal of wall 25 located between slits 33 and the with a pair of looped portions 31 (see Fig. 9),

the openings of which register with the opening formed by the webs 34 and 36 of wall 25. Each lateral wall 26 of the set thereof on the opposite side of longitudinal wall 25 is provided with a pair of looped portions 38 (see Fig. 9), the openings of which also register with the opening formed by webs 34 and 36 of the wall 25. A pin or shaft 39 having a relatively flat head portion 4| is extended through the openings of looped portions 31 and 38 of walls 26 and through the opening formed by the webs 34 and 3'6 of wall 25 to hingedly mount the laterally projecting walls 26 upon the longitudinal grid wall 25. The upper end 42 of pins or shafts 39 may be beaded over for locking the walls together to provide a unitary structure. In order to hold the walls 26 in parallel spaced apart relation to one another, I secure a bar 44 to the outer extremity of each set of walls. It will be noted that each wall 26 has an integral rounded portion 45 (see Fig. 10) extending upwardly from its top edge adjacent its outer side edge. The two bars 44 are each provided with a plurality of spaced apart openings 46 which loosely receive the rounded extensions 45 on wall members 26. After the bars 44 are assembled to members 26 the end of portions or extensions 45 are beaded over as at 41 to lock the two bars to the grid.

To complete the unitary grid structure l6 and to provide means for actuating the bars 44 and, consequently, moving the lateral grid walls 26, I pivotally mount a lever 5|, having a handle end 52, to the longitudinal grid wall 25 as by a pin 53 passing through an opening 54, in wall 25. and through suitable openings provided in a pair of legs 55 formed on and depending from the lever (see Fig. 7) The lever 5| is provided with a pair of ears 56 which extend outwardly from a yoke portion 51 thereof and over the rim I! at the back wall l4 of the ice tray 'Legs 55 on lever 5| straddle the longitudinal grid wall 25 and the underside of yoke 51 of lever 5| is cut away as at 58 to permit elevation of the lever without striking the grid wall 25. It is to be noted that the opening 54,-provided in grid wall 25 and through which pin 53 extends, is of an elongated form for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully explained. The rounded pivot portion 59'extends outwardly from each side of the yoke part 51 of lever 5| and is received in an opening 6| provided in a twistedend portion 62 of the bars 44 (see Figs. 1 and '7). The lever 5| is thereby secured to the grid structure l6 for movement in a singledirection of motion about its pivotal mountings 59. Since lever 5| moves in a single direction about the pivot points 59, it is obvious that opening 54 in the longitudinal grid wall 25 must be elongated to permit such movement;

6 It is apparent that the connection of lever 5| with bars 44 normally maintains the' vertically disposed laterally projecting sets of grid walls 26 in a position whereby they extend in different acute angled directions relative to one another and to the longitudinal grid wall 25 to provide the ice block compartments with a parallelogram form. The hinged or pivotal mounting of walls 26 permits movement thereof out of their normal acute angled projection into substantially a rightangled or perpendicular position relative to the longitudinal grid wall 25 to change the form or contour of compartments 28. walls 26, after the grid structure I 6 has been removed from tray breaks ice blocks'loose from the grid walls and the changing of the contour Movement of the of the ice block compartments enlarges these compartments and permits the loosening ice blocks to freely fall therefrom. Since force is applied to the outer extremity of the laterally projecting walls 26 through the bars M, a minimum of pressure exerted upon the operating lever 5| will move the walls.

Assume that water has been frozen in the tray I of the freezing device in the form of ice blocks in compartments 28, by the refrigerating effect produced by an evaporator of a refrigerating system, and tray II has been removed from the evaporator by manipulating the handle and it is now desired to harvest the ice blocks from the device. The handle end 52 of lever 5| is elevated to cause the ears 56 thereon to engage rim I! at the back of tray I and apply force thereto. During this elevating movement of lever 5| about its pivotal mountings 59, pin 53 secured to legs 55 of the lever moves freely within the elongated opening 54 in grid wall 25. Pin 53 moves along and in engagement with the top wall of opening 54 in grid wall 25, and when the ears 56 on lever 5| engage the element I! of tray H to apply force to the tray this force is transmitted to the longitudinal wall of the grid structure I6 through pin 53. Thus, the elongation of opening 54 in grid wall 25 permits this initial movement of lever 5|. The force applied to tray by lever 5| and transmitted to the grid IS in the manner described causes the unitary grid structure together with ice blocks adhering or bonded thereto to be elevated relative to the tray as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Breaking of the bond between the ice and walls of tray II as shown in Fig. 4 permits the grid structure l6 and ice blocks therein to be removed from the tray. After -the grid and ice have been removed from the tray the handle end 52 of lever 5| is moved further in its single direction of motion about the pivots 59 as shown in Figs. 5 and Got the drawings. This further or continued movement of lever 5| actuates bars 44 toward the lever end of the grid structure, and the lengthwise movement of the bars 44 also moves the outer portions of the laterally extending grid walls 25 toward the lever end of the grid (see Figs. 5 and 6). The grid walls 26 pivot about the hinged pins 39 and when moved into a substantially right-angled position relative to grid wall 25 the ice block compartments 28 are enlarged as may be determined by reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings. During movement of walls :26 the bond between the ice blocks and the grid walls 25 and 26 is broken to loosen the ice blocks and permit them to fall freely from their compartments when these compartments are enlarged. The enlaTgement of the ice block compartments is caused by changing their shape or contour from a parallelogram to substantially a rectangular form. I have shown the ice blocks still in their respective compartments in Fig. 5 of the drawings to illustrate the enlargement of the compartments relative to the size of the ice blocks, but it is to be understood that when the grid walls are moved, as described, these ice blocks will be loosened and will fall freely out of their compartments. After the ice blocks have been removed from the grid structure IS, the lever 5| may be moved back into its normal position and this return movement of lever 5| moves the laterally extending vertical grid walls 26 back into their normal acute-angled position relative to the upright longitudinal grid wall 25 toform the par allelogram-shaped ice compartments 28. If de sired, the tray and grid walls may be treated or and to also move the grid walls to release ice blocks therefrom. By constructing the grid of metal walls I have retained the fast freezing characteristics of metal grid and'tray combinations. In the improved structure disclosed, force is applied to the outer extremity of the movable grid walls and less effort on the part of the operator is thereby required to move the grid walls to thus facilitate the operation of harvesting ice blocks from a freezing device.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A grid for disposition in an ice tray comprising, a rigid longitudinal upright wall having two sets of rigid vertically disposed walls projecting laterally from the sides thereof to provide longitudinal rows of ice block compartments, the vertically disposed walls of one set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to'one another and. extending in one direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the vertically disposed walls of the other set of said laterally projecting walls beingparallel to one another and extending in another direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the normal acute angled disposition of said laterally projecting walls providing said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form, said vertically disposed laterally projecting walls of each set thereof being movable toward the same end of the grid out of their normal acute. angled extension towards a right angled position relative to said upright longitudinal wall to break ice blocks loose from said grid walls and to enlarge said ice block compartments, and means for imparting force to said laterally projecting vertical walls to cause said movement thereof.

2. A grid for disposition in an ice tray comprising, a rigid longitudinal upright wall having two sets of rigid vertically disposed walls projecting laterally from the sides thereof to provide longitudinal rows of ice block compartments, the vertically disposed walls of one set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to one another and extending in one direction transverse of the grid at an acute anglerelative to said longitudinal wall, the vertically disposed walls of the other set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to one another and extending in another direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the normal acute angled disposition of said laterally projecting walls.providing said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form, said vertically disposed laterally projecting walls of each set thereof being movable toward the same end of the grid out of their normal acute angled extension towards a right angledposition relative to said upright longitudinal wall to break ice blocks loose from said grid walls and to enlarge said ice block compartments, and means engaging each of said laterally projecting vertical walls at a point remote from said longitudinal wall and near their lateral extremity for imparting a force thereto to cause said movement thereof.

3. A grid for disposition in an ice tray come prising, a rigid longitudinal upright wall having two sets of rigid vertically disposed walls projecting laterally from the sides thereof to provide longitudinal rows of ice block compartments, the vertically disposed walls of one set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to one another and extending in one direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the vertically disposed walls-of the other set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to one another and extending in another direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the normal acute angled disposition of said laterally projecting walls providing said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form, said vertically disposed lateral walls of each set thereof being pivotally hinged to said upright longitudinal wall for movement toward the same end of the grid out of their normal angled extension towards a right angled position relative to said longitudinal wall to break ice blocks loose from said walls and to enlarge said ice block compartments, means engaging each-of said laterally projecting vertical walls at a point remote from said longitudinal wall and near their lateral extremity for causing said movement thereof, and a single lever for imparting force to said means.

4. A grid for disposition in an ice tray comprising, a rigid longitudinal upright wall having two sets of rigid vertically disposed walls projecting laterally from the sides thereof to provide longitudinal rows of ice block compartments, the vertically disposed walls of one set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to one an" other and extending in one direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the vertically disposed walls of the other set of said laterally projecting walls being parallel to one another and extending in another direction transverse of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall, the normal acute angled disposition of said laterally projecting walls providing said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form, said vertically disposed laterallyprojecting walls of each setthereoi being movable toward the same end of the grid out of their normal acute angled extension towards a right angled position relative to said upright longitudinal wall to break ice blocks loose from said grid walls and to enlarge said ice block compartments, and mechanism carried by said grid and arranged to impart force to each of said laterally projecting vertical walls to cause said movement thereof.

5. In combination, a tray having a unitary grid structure removably disposed therein, said grid structure comprising an upright rigid wall extending longitudinally of the tray and having a plurality of rigid vertically disposed walls pro--- jecting laterally from each sidethereof to divide the interior of the tray into longitudinal rows of ice block compartments, said laterally projecting vertically disposed walls extending transversely of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall to provide said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form, said vertically disposed laterally projecting grid walls being movable out of their normal acute angled extension towards a right angled position relative to said upright longitudinal wall, and a lever having a single direction of motion for elevating said grid structure together with ,ice blocks bonded thereto relative to the tray and for moving said vertically disposed movable laterally extending grid walls to break the bond between the ice blocks and the grid walls and to enlarge said ice block compartments. 7

'6. In combination, a tray having a unitary grid structure removably disposed therein, said grid structure comprising an upright rigid wall extending longitudinally of the tray and having a plurality of rigid vertically disposed walls projecting laterally from each side thereof to divide the interior of the tray into longitudinal rows of ice block compartments, said laterally projecting vertically disposed walls extending transversely of the grid at an acute angle relative to said longitudinal wall to provide said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form, said vertically disposed laterally projecting grid walls being movable out of their normal acute angled extension towards a right angled position relative to said upright longitudinal wall, and a lever having a single direction of motion for elevating said grid structure together with ice blocks bonded thereto relative to the tray and for imparting force to the outer extremity of said vertically disposed movable laterally extending grid walls to cause said movement thereof for breaking ice blocks loose from the grid walls and for enlarging said ice block compartments.

7. A structure in accordance with claim 1 wherein the means for imparting force to said vertically disposed laterally projecting walls acts against said longitudinal wall.

8. A structure in accordance with claim 3 wherein the lever is pivotally mounted to said longitudinal wall.

9. A grid for disposition in an ice tray comprising, a longitudinal upright wall and a plurality of vertically disposed walls projecting laterally from said longitudinal wall in spaced apart relation along the length thereof to form a row of ice block compartments, said laterally projectlng vertically disposed walls normally extending at an angle, other than a right angle to said upright longitudinal wall to provide said ice block compartments with a parallelogram form in at least one direction of cross-section, said laterally projecting vertical walls being movable out of said normal angled extension towards a right angled misition relative to said upright longitudinal wall to enlarge said ice block compartments, and a lever movable in a direction lengthwise of said grid for imparting force to said laterally projecting vertical walls to cause said movement thereof.

LLOYD M. KEIGHLEY. 

